Angel Island

"I am convinced," Frank Merrill said meditatively, "we must go about

winning their confidence with the utmost care. One false step might be

fatal. I know what your impatience is though - for I can hardly school

myself to wait - that extraordinary phenomenon of the wings interests me

so much. The great question in my mind is their position biologically

and sociologically."

"The only thing that bothers me," Honey contributed solemnly, "is

whether or not they're our social equals."

Even Frank Merrill laughed. "I mean, are they birds," he went on still

in a puzzled tone, "free creatures of the air, or, women, bound

creatures of the earth? And what should be our attitude toward them?

Have we the right to capture them as ornithological specimens, or is it

our duty to respect their liberty as independent human beings?

"They're neither birds nor women," Pete Murphy burst out impetuously.

"They're angels. Our duty is to fall down and worship them."

"They're women," said Billy Fairfax earnestly. "Our duty is to cherish

and protect them."

"They're girls," Honey insisted jovially, "our duty is to josh and jolly

them, to buy them taxicabs, theater-tickets, late suppers, candy, and

flowers."

"They're females," said Ralph Addington contemptuously. "Our duty is to

tame, subjugate, infatuate, and control them."

Frank Merrill listened to each with the look on his face, half

perplexity, half irritation, which always came when the conversation

took a humorous turn. "I am myself inclined to look upon them as an

entirely new race of beings, requiring new laws," he said thoughtfully.

Although the quick appearance and the quick departure of the girls had

upset the men temporarily, they went back to work at once. And as though

inspired by their appearance, they worked like tigers. As before, they

talked constantly of them, piling mountains of conjecture on molehills

of fact. But now their talk was less of the wonder and the romance of

the situation and more of the irritation of it. Ralph Addington's unease

seemed to have infected them all. Frank Merrill had actually to coax

them to keep at their duty of patrolling the beach. They were constantly

studying the horizon for a glimpse of their strange visitors. Every

morning they said, "I hope they'll come to-day"; every night, "Perhaps

they'll come to-morrow." And always, "They won't put it over on us this

time when we're not looking."

But in point of fact, the next visit of the flying girls came when they

least expected it - late in the evening.